Counter.



No. ssuvs. PATENTED JUNE 16", 1908. 1?. 0. HOWE.

COUNTER.

I D APPL OATION FILE JUNE 13, 1907 2 SHEETS SHEET 1' I N VE N TOR Wayland/ha WITNESSES 3 A P F m N w LG Qm N D 1 APPLIOATIO FILE JUNE 13, 907 2SHEETS SHEET 2' M T M V N I 0 man a 1 w z d 0 ATTORNEYS- planation FRANK CLEvEiLAno-Hown, ob -GLOBE, ARIZONA TERRITORY.

' ooUN'rER;

Specification oflIletters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

- Application met-Jane 18;}1907'. Serial No. era-ass;

-To elite-7mm it may concern: I Be it known that I, FRANK CLEVELAND Howe, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Globe, in the county of Gila and" Territory of Arizona, have invented a new and Improved Counter, of which the following is a full,-clear,

,This invention 7 more particularly to that-class of counters gsedfor ascertaining the piston strokes made y like.

The object of the invention is, to provide a simple, strong and efficient counter, by means of which thetotal'number of strokes made by a iston can be determined, and by 'means of which the number of power strokes can likewise be ascertained. A further object of the invention is to provide a counter actuated by the variations of pressure in the cylinder of an engine or the ike, and indicating the number of power strokes made by the piston, and the total number of strokesmade by the piston including those during which steam was not admitted to the cylinder, in which the charge was not exploded, or in which the cylinder was performing no work. I The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be ing drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in both views. Figured is a vertical section of the counter,

and exact description.

showing the same attached operatively to an engine cylinder; and Fig. 2 1s a similar view of a modified form of the counter.

' Before proceeding to a more detailed ex of my invention, it should be understood that the device includes counters 7767 se, which may be.of any common or preferred. type. In the drawing herewith, the counters shown are of the usual type having registering disks carrying indicating numill glue, for instance, the cross-head.

of'these counters it is possible to register the bers and operated by plvoted arms, each movement of the arm about the pivot, adding a unit to the total of the strokes shown, by'the indicating disks. With this ty e of counter as well as with the other orms usually employed, the pivoted arm receives its movement from a moving part of the en- Bymeans steam or explosive engines, pumps and the had to the accompanyf total' number only, of the strokes of the en gine, and this total includes strokes during which no steam was admitted to'the cylinder or during which the charge drawn into the cylinderof 'theengiinein an internal. com bustion motoris not exploded. It should be noted that in various tests of engines and relates to counters, and

the like to determine the efficiency, fuel consumption or other data, it is often of urgent necessity to determine not only the total number of strokes but as well, the actual number of power strokes. By means of my invention, which is operatedby the variations in pressure in the engine cylinder the power strokes are counted as well as the total number of strokes. When no steam is admitted to the engine cylinder or when a charge drawn into the cylinder remains unexploded, a certain compression is caused by the piston which operates a movable member againstthe tension of a spring, the movable member controlling a counter which thus registers the strokes. When steam is permitted to enter the cylinder, or when a charge is exploded therein, the pressure, greatly in excess of the pressure in the pre- -v1ous case, operates the movable member and registers on the counter mentioned, while at the same time a second member having a resisting spring of greater tension, is operated by the greater pressure and actuates a second independent counter which thus registers the power strokes only.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a cylinder ,which may constitute that of a steam engine, an internal combustion engine, 'a pump or other similar mechanism. The cylinder 1 has therein the usual'piston 2 and presents a cylinder-head 3. The cylinder 1 is provided with a ta ped bore 4 inwhich is located the threader end 5 of a valve 6 integral with a case 7, preferably cylindrical in form. A rotatable valve member 8 is provided and serves to 'cut off communication between the cylinder and the case 7 when the counter isunused. A,

movable member 9 constituting a piston is slidably' arranged within the case 7, the u pper end of which is closed by a head 10, havmg a stuifing-box opening 11 and a petcook 12 by means of which communication between the interior of the case and the outside thereof may be established. The movable member 9 has a rod 13 secured thereto b meansjof a threaded end and a nut 14. he rod extends througli'the stuffing-box opening of the head and has a threaded portion and at the extremity an annular shoulder 15.

A preferably annular bracket 16 having lateral extensions 17, is removably mounted upon the case 7 by means of set-screws 18. Supporting members 1.9, comprising rods having threaded ends and adjacent to the threaded ends shoulders 20, are arranged upon. the extensions 17 and are secured in suitable openings thereof by means of nuts 21. The members 19 carry at their upper ends, resting upon the shoulders 20, a trans verse beam 22 secured in position by means of nuts 23 upon the u per threaded ends of the members 19. Int ependent counters 24 and 25 are rigidly mounted upon the beam 22 at the opposite extremities thereof, and present the usual indicating disks 26 and the operating arms 27.

At a point substantially mid-way between the extremities of the members 19 a crossbar "28 is provided, carried in recesses 29 in the side members 19. The cross-bar has an opening therethrough within which is located a slidable, preferably cylindrical bracket 30 having an annular extension 31 and a hollow projecting rod 32 extending towards the cross-beam 22 and passing through a suitable opening therein. At the upper extremity, the hollow rod 32 has a ring 33 rigidly secured thereto and presenting a lin er 34 pivoted by means of a pin 35 at a slot 36 in the arm 27 of the counter 24. The rod thus controls the counter 24 and when the rod is slidably moved upward the counter registers once for each movement of the rod. Upon a threaded portion 37 of the rod 32 are adjusting nuts 38 and 39. A helical spring 40 is mounted upon the rod 32 and abuts against the under side of the cross-beam 22 and the nut 38. The nut.38 and the cross-beam 22 are provided with projections engaging the spring and holding the same in proper relative position surrounding therod. Annular cushions of felt, rubber or the like are arranged between the annular shoulder 31 and the cross-bar 28. At the lower extremity, the cylindrical bracket 30 has an offset portion 41 constituting a shoulder. A recessed nut 42 and a lock-nut 43 are arranged upon the threaded part 15 of the rod 13. A helical spring 44 is mounted u on the rod 13, engaging the shoulder 41 o the bracket and the recessed nut 42. It will be understood that the spring 40 normally forces the rod 32 down ward and holds the shoulder 31 in engagement with the cushions 45 upon the crossbar 28. Similarly, the spring 44 normally forces the rod 13 downward and holds the movable 1'l16111h81 9 in position at the lower end of the case 7. At the upper end, the rod 13 has a longitudinally threaded bore 46 in which is mounted a corresponilingly-threail seams ed end 47 of a rod 48. The rod 4? extends through the longitudinal opening 49 in, ii hollow rod 32 and projects thercaboyc. the projecting end, the rod 48 presents n 50 engaging a slot 51 at the end of lhearm in 27 of the counter 25.

The arrangement is such that l he spring l;- is preferably considerably stronger than lluspring 44, and correspondingly more sl rongl resists the upward movement of the red a: than the spring 44 resists the upward mo ment of the rod 13; thus, when the engine is compressing merely, the compression due L the pressure in the cylinder is sullicicnt io drive the movable member upward against the tension of the spring 44, the combiucd resistance of the springs 40 and 4 1 n t being overcome by the prcssurc in the cylindcr. so that the counter 25 only, registers. lion ever, when a power stroke is being unidc by the piston, the pressure within the c ilindcr is suflicient to drive the rod 13 upwind against the tension of the spring 4 4 into cugagement with the bracket and also 1:: l'orcc the rod 32 upward against the lcnsion ol' lhss wring 40, so that the counter 24 us wcll in; t e counter 25, registers. An annular c .isli

ion 51 of felt, rubber or the like is provided within the bracket and is engaged by the shoulder 16 of the rod 13 when the laltcr is forced upwardly. By means of the adji'isiable nuts upon the rods, the tcnsion of the springs 40 and 4 1 can be regulated accuratel to adapt the counter for use in connection with engines of dillcrcnt kinds and dimensions. It will be clearly undcrsloiul lllul witha pressure in the cylinder up to a certain limit, the counter 25 only, rcgistcrs. the p" sure being sullicicnt to overcome l'nc r ance of the spring 44 but not the combined 10,7, resistance of the springs 40 and 1-1. 11 ll n it nessure exceeding this limit the rcsistnuce ol lioth springs is overcome and both ('oimlcrs. consequently, register. Thus, one ol" ili counters registers the total number of edrolrrs 1", performed by the piston, imrludiug thc poii'cr strokes and those in which the cylimlcr was cut oil from the steam supply or in whi h lluexplosive chargein the case of an cxplosiyc e11ginc\vascompressed and ignited, llltlili'. The other counter rcgistcrs thosc slrol only, in which the piston was pcrl'ormii work: that is, when the steam was introihiccd into the cylinder and the chargcs wcrc cxplodcd. lt should be noted that lhc cou-uli-r is applicable also to other types ol mechanism, for instance, to pumps. When :he pump cylinder is forcing a lluid thcrcl lu-ough the operation corresponds to lllc pouwr stroke, whereas if a pump piston is un-rcl working idly it corresponds lo the opcrnlivn stroke of the engine.

In the modilie 'n shown in Fig. l .1 single counter onlyi. )rovided: this counlci' registers the actual i nvcr strokes performed, "11

or the total number of strokes. The supporting members 19 carry at their upper ends, a transverse beam 52 similar to the beam 22 but extending laterally at one side only of the device. The rod 13 has a threaded portion 15 at its upper extremity and carries an extension ro 53 passing through a suitable openin 54 in the transverse beam 52. At the cm above the beam-52, the extension rod 53 has a lateral pin 55 arranged in a slot 51 in the operating arm 27 of the counter 25 which is mounted upon the transverse beam 52. The rod 13 carries the recessed nut 42 and the lock-nut 43 as in the preferred form. of the device. A helical spring 44 is mounted upon the rod 15 and the extension rod 53, seatin against the recessed nut 42, and engaging t e under side of the beam 52, toresist the movement of the rod 13. I The operation of the device 'is similar to that of the partscontrolling the counter 25 in the preferred form of the invention. It will be understood that the spring 44 in the modified form may be of such stren th or can be so regulated that the counter wi I register either the actual power strokes only, or the total number of strokes made.

' Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent v 1. A device of the class described, comprising a movable member, and a plurality of counters controllable at different stages of the movement of said member.

2. A device of the class described, compris- I ing a plurality of counters, a movable memberada'pted to be actuated by the variations in pressure, said counters being controllable at different stages of the movement of saidmember, and means for resiliently resisting the movement of said member.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a case adapted to receive a fluid at varying pressures, a movable member in said case, and independent counters, controlled by said member and controllable at different pressures of the fluid in said case.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a counter having an operating arm, a case adapted to receive a fluid at varying pres sure, a movable member within said case and controlling said arm, and resilient means resisting the movement of said member.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a counter having a swinging operating arm, a case adapted to receive a fluid at va- -rying pressure, a movable member within 'sald case, means for' controlling said operating arm through the movement of said memher, and a spring resisting the movement of said member.

6. A device of the class described, comprising independent counters, a movable mem-' ber controllable by variations in-fluid pressure, a controlling member operatively engaging said movable member and one of said counters, means for resiliently resisting the movement of sald controlling member, a sec-- and means for resiliently resisting the move- 77 ment of said second controlling member.-

7. A device of the class descrlbed, comprising a movable member controllable by variations in fluid pressure, independent counters, a controlling member operatively connecting, said movab e member and one of said counters, a second spring resisting the movement of said controlling member, a second controlling member operatively connected to a second counter and having means for engaging said first controlling member when the same is operated, and a second spring resisting the movement of said second controlling member, whereby the resistance of both of said springs must be overcome before said second counter is operated.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a case adapted to receive a fluid at varying pressure, a movable member within said case,- a rod operated by said member and having resilient means resisting the moveand having resilient means resisting the movement thereof, and a second counter independent of said first counter and controlled by said second rod.

9. A device of the class described, comprising a case adapted to receive a fluid at varying pressure, a movable member within said case, independent counters, a rod presenting a shoulder and operatively connecting said movable member and one of said counters, an adjustable spring resisting the movement of said rod, a hollow rod arranged upon said first rod and operatively connected to a second counter, said shoulder of said first rod engaging said second rod when said first rod is operated, means for normally holding said second rod from engagement with said shoulder of said first rod, and a second adjustable spring resisting the movement of said second rod. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two-subscribing witnesses.

FRANK CLEVELAND HOWE.

Witnesses:

SAM HANMONS, CALVIN A. WAIRYTON. 

